Artist for hire Claire Rierson

I’m an illustrator and comic artist. I’m sort of a one man band– I write, pencil, ink, color, letter, the whole nine yards!

Style / Genre

That’s tough. I guess I’m drawn to things that are wacky, cartoony, and highly political– this can lean into comedy or drama. I LOVE noir, and I also love juxtapositions/clashes of style and genre that you wouldn’t expect to work. Everybody knows BONE, but it’s a perfect example– funny little Walt Kelly-esque creatures in a LOTR-style environment sounds weird as hell on paper, but damn if it doesn’t work! I find myself doing the same thing often.

A fully rendered illustration, background and all, will put you out anywhere between $75 and $200. I don’t do commissions often, but I typically do standalone characters (full ink + color + shade) for about $60. A colored bust is about $25.

Well, not sure what this entails! I’m kind of just doing my own thing at the moment. Looking for an agent and a publisher at the moment, though!

Previous work

I previously did some illustration work for Frog God Games on their reprint of Bunnies & Burrows. It was a lot of fun!

Current projects

I’m currently working on a long-form comic called Rockwell, which I guess I would describe as a cartoony noir/political drama with eldritch horror elements. If it sounds weird, it kinda is. It’s also a lot of fun! Feel free to check it out at rockwellcomic.com. I also have a project on the backburner intended as a self-contained graphic novel called Putty. It’s more of a political comedy, with a VERY different and much goofier vibe. I hope to have more to show of it publicly soon!

What was your first project that made you feel like a real artist and how did you get it?

I think this is kind of a misleading question, because any feeling of being a “real artist” is both fleeting and disingenuous. We’re “real artists” the minute we start creating. It doesn’t have to be “good”, and it sure as hell doesn’t have to be “successful”, whatever that even means. We just have to MAKE stuff. So I guess I’m not sure I want to answer this one, because any answer I can give is sort of incomplete– I’ve had lots of projects that made me feel like “this is it! I’m really doing it now!” but that feeling will ALWAYS come and go, for ALL of us. On my worst days I feel like a total joker, and that just comes with the territory!

What is your primary inspiration when creating art?

I suppose my primary inspiration would have to be trying to capture a feeling in art I rarely see. In other words, I make stuff I want to see that doesn’t exist yet! What really speaks to me is super wacky and niche 90s stuff, especially point-n-clicks, indie comics, and cartoons that were lost to time. The Neverhood, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, Sly Cooper, BONE, etc… even some smaller stuff like Nightmare Ned, Day of the Tentacle etc has left a huge impact on me!

What other artists do you use to learn technique?

I gleaned a LOT from studying game concept art as a kid. Sly Cooper’s concept art in particular. I’m told my inks look a lot like Jeff Smith’s sometimes, and the way I write character interaction, too. Peter Chan has been one of my favorite concept artists for years, so I think I’ve taken a lot from him, too.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years with your art?

Well, hopefully almost done with Rockwell! I project it’ll probably take me about that long to finish to completion. That’s about 500 pages total, and I have to work kinda slow (probably finish about 2 pages a week) because whether I like it or not, I’m still disabled!

What would your dream project be?

Gosh, I really don’t know. I guess I’m working on it right now! Someday I’d love to work on a point-n-click, but that’s probably pretty far off in my future. One thing at a time.

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When the zombies take over the world, where will you be?

Oh you know. Just vibing 🙂

How do you identify?

I’m just lil ol’ me! (I’m a butch lesbian.)

What piece of art, be it in the form of music, a book, a film or picture, do you think people must experience before they die?

Hm… tough one. I guess Singin’ in the Rain, because it’s pretty impossible to be sad after watching it. Only downside is every MGM-era musical you watch after it will be kind of a letdown!

What’s one fact that most people would not believe about you?

You’d never guess it now from how much trouble I have getting around, but when I was little I could stick both legs behind my head. The doctors called this “hypermobility”. I called it “neat”.